Songfacts®:

• In this song, John Legend finds himself dating a girl he can't afford - she wants the finer things, but he can do is love her. He's tired of how shallow and materialistic she is, so he cuts her loose with some piercing words:
  
  I just don't love you
  Not like I used to
• Released in 2004, "Used to Love U" was John Legend's first single, but he was already well-known in the music industry as a songwriter, piano player and backup singer for other artists. His first credit came back in 1998 when he played piano on "Everything Is Everything" from Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill album. He was 19 at the time and still a student at the University of Pennsylvania. When he graduated, he worked with Kanye West, including on West's 2004 album The College Dropout and the 2003 Alicia Keys song "You Don't Know My Name."
  
  "Used to Love U" got Legend's solo career off to a strong start, earning airplay and charting at #74. His next single, "Ordinary People," reached a wider audience and reached #24. Both songs were included on his debut solo album, Get Lifted, which sold over 2 million copies.
• John Legend wrote and produced this song with Kanye West, who months earlier released his debut album, The College Dropout. West did production work on five songs from the Get Lifted album, including "Number One," which he also features on.
  
  In 2005, West released his own song about a girlfriend with an eye for luxury and a cold heart: "Gold Digger."
• In the music video, Legend brings his girl to church, where she is judged harshly for her greed. Kanye West plays a preacher who helps Legend come to an epiphany. The video was directed by Ben Mor, who also did Coldplay's "Hymn For The Weekend."